We had tried a couple of borrowed tents before buying a BigW
special that was too tall for Sue to help me set up and coming and going from
the tent in the rain was a pain. Then at Sydney's Rosehill Caravan & Camping
Show we purchased an OzTrail Tent that was easier to erect. It went with us on a
trip to WA. But we only used it for three nights. The BigW tent has recently
seen good service when our son-in-law used it on a trip to Queensland when his
brother and family visited from Norway.

After many years of saying that she’d never sleep in a tent, Sue was getting
used to it but we wanted something a little better than just a tent. So after
the Western Austalia trip we pretty much decided that we should consider a
camper trailer.

acquiring the camper

Despite the encouragement of good friends to buy a caravan,
we felt that we didn’t want to be hauling something big and heavy around. So at
the Dubbo Caravan & Camping Show in 2010 we had a look at a number of different
camper trailers. We were impressed by the Marlin Camper Trailer's with the
OzTrail tent. The people from Marlin were nice and they were offering them at a
pretty good price. Five Star from Belmont NSW, had the same tent on a slightly
different trailer so they were well in the running. But the Five Star sales
people, both at Dubbo and Belmont, didn’t seem very interested in our business.

Anyway, the basic decision was made. We were going to acquire the slightly
bigger OzTrail camper from either Marlin or Five Star. We knew what it would
cost and had an idea of the cost of the additional stuff we would need for
storage, kitchen, etc.

Then fate lent a hand and Sue spotted the tiny classified ad in our local paper
on a Saturday morning – Marlin Escape Camper Trailer - $4,000. Apart from the
fact that she rarely reads the local paper in any detail (it can usually be read
in full over a morning cuppa), either of us tend to take much notice of the For
Sale classifieds. But there was this little ad for something we’d been
considering. Better have a look we said and we were off to town for a squiz.

The sellers had bought the camper trailer new about 18 months before and they
had used it for twenty nights on a couple of trips. It was the smaller tent
model but when we looked at what was included for the price we decided that we’d
deal with that. So before we headed home that day, we’d paid a deposit and
arranged to come back with the rest of the cash on the following Monday. Quick
as that, we were going to own a camper.

the first set up at home

set up for a week at Lane
Cover River Tourist Park

camper mods

The original owner was a handy sort of a guy with access to a
good workshop whereby he added lots of things to the camper. After I got the
camper home I discovered all the things he’d done made the $4,000 purchase price
seem very good value.

This is the drawer installed in the camper. There is storage
to the right for tent poles, annex walls, tent pegs, ropes, etc. There’s a
bucket and broom in there as well. Everything we need to set up camp, cook and
eat is in the drawer. The table on the tailgate is great , however the table on
the top of the drawer, while a good idea, is not very practical. The drawer
takes up too much space in the annex so we usually push it back into the
trailer.

The only thing I've added to the camper trailer was a couple of screws on the
end of the drawer to hang a four outlet power board on. I’ve have set up an
arrangement to connect a battery charger to the 12volt battery. This is rather
than installing an auxiliary charging circuit in the car.

I’ve also acquired a tarp and some tent poles that I use to
minimise the impact of the sun on the tent roof. The tarp is stored in the
drawer. For travelling we lay our foam floor mats inside plastic bags on the bed
and our card table and chairs travel under the cover.

Only other thing I want to do is work out if I can carry an extra spare tyre for
the Tiguan on the camper. The Tig only has a space saver spare and I’d really
like to carry two spares for travel into remote, rough country.

the camper gets
plenty of use

In the hands of the extended Hallett family, the camper has
had plenty of use. In the 18 months that we’ve owned it the camper has been used
by us and our kids probably four times the amount that the previous owner used
it.

Sue and I have had some extended stays in the camper at Lane Cove River Tourist
Park, Iluka, Blacksmith's Beach near Swansea and Narrabeen. One of our daughters
spent a week in the camper at Huskisson and another daughter, her husband and
two kids use it regularly for weekends at Burrendong Dam.

We’ve yet to try quick overnight stops but hope to perfect that process on our
planned trip to Lake Mungo, the Flinders Ranges and other parts of South
Australia in May 2013.

Because we bought the camper for such a good price, we intend hanging on to it
for many years. Even if we decide to upgrade, our first little camper will be
tucked away in its shed ready for the kids and friends to use whenever it’s
needed.